Clean Slate
by ADI2DE
Summary: AU - After an accident on the job, Andy wakes to find that she only remembers one day out of her entire life: the day of the accident. When Sam discovers she doesn't even remember her own fiancé, will he seize the opportunity to win her over the way he should have to begin with, or will he be his usual noble self and settle for friendship while pushing her back to Luke?
1. What Happened Before

**Welcome to my AU Rookie Blue story "Clean Slate". I have twenty different RB stories that I just started publishing today, so feel free to check those out as well. I'll do my best to update each story regularly. I was pretty nervous about publishing them in the first place, so if you like what you read, please leave some constructive criticism and that might encourage me to get the remaining stories and chapters up faster. Hope you enjoy this one! Thanks for reading ****J**

Andy struggled to open her eyes. Her whole head felt heavy, her throat raw, and every inch of her hurt like hell. She must have had too much to drink last night. Hearing the constant beeping to her right, she sought to reach out and turn off her alarm, but even her arms felt too heavy to lift. Cracking her eyes open a little more she was met with bright lights and white walls. Glancing to her right she saw a machine showing her heart rate. She blinked hard. Why was she in the hospital?

A noise to her left had her eyes flicking in that direction. A man with dark hair and warm brown eyes sat in a chair beside the bed, one arm on her bed, his hand linked with hers. His eyes widened and for a moment it looked like he was going to break down, but seconds later, a smile graced his face. "You're awake."

She stared at him for a long moment, unconsciously looking him over before her eyes took in the rest of the room. That done, she looked back at him, confusion written all over her face. "Sam," she croaked. "What happened?"

His face fell and he cast his eyes downward. "I'm so sorry Andy," he said, his voice cracking as his mind went back to the night before. "I… I didn't see him until he fired."

"Did we get them?" Andy asked.

He stared at her for a long moment before nodding.

"Good," she said, squeezing his hand slightly. She took a sharp breath, grimacing slightly. "Are you okay?"

Sam's mouth fell open slightly. Was she seriously asking him that? She'd been shot twice: once in the vest and once in the back of the head. Somehow, by some miracle or something, she'd survived. Physically, he'd come out of the situation unscathed, but psychologically and emotionally, he was wrecked. Snapping out of it, he hit the buzzer for the nurse to come, thankful when seconds later a woman entered the room.

"Welcome back Miss McNally," the nurse said, smiling brightly. She hit the buzzer again and requested the doctor's presence.

Moments later, a man entered the room. "My name is Dr. Nyman."

Andy stared at him through slightly blurred vision.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Dr. Nyman asked.

Andy glanced at Sam then back to Dr. Nyman. "Yes."

"Do you know why you're here?" Dr. Nyman asked slowly. "Do you remember?"

Andy started to nod, but the movement caused a sharp pain in her head. Squeezing her eyes shut for a second, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to ease the nausea. When she opened her eyes again, she said, "We responded to a call… We were in the basement of a building and it was really dark. I don't know what exactly happened though. I remember hearing something and turning, but I… I don't know."

"So you remember going to the building and being at the building?" Dr. Nyman asked.

"Yeah."

"And you remember this man's name?" The doctor gestured to Sam.

"Of course," Andy said, frowning. "He's my partner."

"How's the pain?"

Before she could respond, Tommy McNally came bursting through the doorway. "Sweetie, you're awake."

Andy's eyes snapped to the older gentleman, then looked to Sam questioningly. As the man approached her and held his arms out, Andy's grip on Sam's hand tightened.

He studied her closely for a moment before turning to look at Tommy. When his eyes flicked back to her, they widened. "Tommy, can you wait out in the hall please?" Sam asked, rising and holding his other hand up to stop Tommy's advance.

"Excuse me?" Tommy said in disbelief.

"Tommy, stop for a second and look at her closely," Sam warned.

After a hesitant moment, Tommy studied Andy. "I don't understand," he said after a long moment, his face crumpling slightly. He'd caught Sam's drift, but he couldn't understand it. "But she knows you?"

Sam nodded hesitantly.

Andy was looking from one man to the other, confusion and a hint of fear filling her.

It was only the sound of her heartbeat increasing slightly that snapped Sam out of his current conversation. He turned back to her, casting a quick glance at the doctor, before taking a deep breath and saying, "McNally, do you remember what happened before the building?"

She frowned. "We went for lunch at the diner."

Sam nodded. "What did you do the night before?"

Andy stared at him for a long moment, trying to remember but she was drawing blanks. "I…" she fell silent, tilting her head slightly as she thought.

"Or what happened on the previous shift?" Sam asked slowly.

Again, she looked at him blankly.

Sam rubbed his face with his free hand, cursing softly. Looking at the doctor, he said, "Has anyone been able to reach Luke Callaghan yet?"

"Who's Luke?" Andy asked.

Sam froze. The doctor gave him a small nod. He turned back to Andy, struggling to keep a neutral expression. "Luke Callaghan is your fiancé."

A smile started to breakout on her face and she could feel the laughter about to bubble over, but the seriousness on Sam's face killed both. "No," she said, shaking her head but instantly regretting it as it sent another wave of nausea and pain through her. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Why?" Sam pressed.

Andy stared at his face for a long moment before looking down at their hands, which were still together. When her eyes returned to his face, he looked surprised. Instead of trying to answer something she still couldn't work out in her head, she looked passed Sam and said, "Who is he?"

"That's your dad," Sam said quietly.

Her breathing became sharp as the panic rose within her.

Sam hesitated, releasing her hand so he could cup her face on either side, gently turning her face towards him. "McNally, just breathe okay? We'll figure this out. Just focus on taking deep breaths and we'll work through this one step at a time." He could tell she was listening to him, even if she wasn't obeying. In a slightly harsher tone, one the rookies knew as his training officer voice, he said, "Breathe in." He nodded encouragingly as she inhaled. "Now breathe out." When she exhaled, he felt a small bit of relief wash through him. "In and out," he said slowly, repeating it several times until her breathing started to regulate. "Good," he said, giving her a small smile as she leaned back against the pillows. He looked over to the doctor who immediately stepped forward, looking a little guilty.

"Miss McNally, I know this is confusing and it's really difficult, but I need to understand what we're dealing with… I need you to think back beyond the day of the accident and tell me if there are perhaps days you can't remember."

She swallowed hard. As tears pricked her eyes, she turned her head to the left. "Sam?" she breathed, her voice shaking as tears streamed down her face. Her heart rate started to skyrocket.

He cautiously stepped forward and gently took her in his arms, being careful not to disturb any of the wires or tubes, or touch any of her injuries. Even with her face buried in his shirt, he could tell she was crying. "Shhhh," he said softly, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing manner. The doctor signaled for him to try asking. With a reluctant nod, he lowered his head slightly and breathed the question into her hair as his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner. "How much do you remember before that day?"

She stiffened at his question. "Nothing," she breathed.


	2. One Day

**Welcome back! First of all, thank you guys so much for your feedback and follows. As a new fanfic writer and someone who doesn't really share her work, I was completely blown away by your kind words and support, so thank you so much. As with the last chapter, I hope you guys will let me know what you think about it, and what your predictions are, etc. As for the guest requesting longer chapters, this one is twice as long, so enjoy! Thanks for reading! **

_"How much do you remember before that day?"_

_She stiffened at his question. "Nothing," she breathed. _

This time when her heart rate skyrocketed, nothing he or anyone else said or did could calm her down, so the nurse was forced to give her an anesthetic to knock her out.

Sam sunk down in the chair beside her bed again, rubbing his face as he groaned. What the hell was he supposed to do? There had been no traces of blame in her eyes when she'd looked up at him, but he was still mad at himself for what happened. His mind shot back to the night before. It was so dark and by the time they saw the guy, Andy was already dropping. He'd had a split second as her body fell to swing his gun around and shoot, but it was a second too late to spare Andy the agony and confusion she was now in. He blamed himself for her pain. A curse escaped him.

"It's not your fault."

He jumped a little, pulling his head out of his hands as he looked up at Tommy, surprised to find that both the doctor and nurse had already left. Sam shook his head. "Your daughter is here because I couldn't protect her." He could feel the anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. It was his fault.

Tommy pulled the other chair up, turning it to face Sam before sitting down. "I saw your statement, and I'm pretty sure if she remembers everything from that night like she said she does, then her full version of events will be a lot different from yours."

All he could do was shake his head again.

"Swarek, listen to me. You're a good cop. I've seen what you can do, and as nervous as I was to see my little girl join the force, I could tell by the way she talked about you and the job that she trusted you…"

Sam clenched his teeth. He didn't want Tommy's pity. He didn't want to know how much Andy had trusted him – he knew his rookie had trusted him with her life, and in the end, she almost lost hers. The thought made him feel sick to his stomach.

Tommy snapped his fingers, pulling Sam out of his thoughts.

"What?" Sam said gruffly.

Tommy sighed. "Is that why you're here? Because you feel guilty?"

"No," Sam replied, the word etched with defeat.

A smile formed on Tommy's face, a knowing look in his eyes. "Good. Then whatever this is," he said, gesturing in Sam's general direction, "It's gotta stop because when she wakes up, she's going to need your full attention. She's going to need _your_ help to get back on her feet."

Sam laughed dryly, lowering his eyes as he said, "Yeah, well, she'll have Callaghan for that."

"The fiancé she doesn't even remember?" Tommy said.

Sam's gaze snapped up to Tommy's face. He hadn't seen the detective in years – since before Tommy was kicked off the force – but he knew that tone. "You don't like him?" It was blunt and to the point, but he wanted answers.

Tommy glanced towards the door, then back at Sam. "He's a solid detective from what I've heard."

"Yup," Sam reluctantly agreed. Was that really all the man was going to divulge?

As Tommy stood, he looked over at his daughter. "You know, he didn't even ask me for permission before proposing to her…"

Sam merely nodded, wondering if Tommy knew that the proposal wasn't planned, that Andy had found the ring. It sounded like she'd kept that little piece of information from her dad. He wondered why.

Sighing, Tommy continued, "Since she doesn't remember me, I'm counting on you to make sure she's okay."

"Yeah, well, the second Callaghan gets his head out of his as—"

"He'll kick you out?" Tommy interrupted.

Sam nodded. "No doubt he doesn't even know I'm here. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would have done something about it by now."

"So you're here until he kicks you out?"

Again, Sam nodded. "After that, until she gets back to work, I don't think there's really anything I can do."

Tommy kissed his daughter's forehead and sighed. Only time would tell. "Keep me posted, will you?" he asked as he walked towards the door.

"Will do," Sam replied, his gaze shifting back to Andy.

* * *

Sam looked up as Andy opened her eyes, watching for a moment as she started fidgeting with the blankets. Slowly rising so he wouldn't startle her, he reached out and gently tugged on them until her hands released the material and she settled back against the pillows. When he was sure he'd smoothed the blankets and sheets out enough, he turned his gaze to her, forcing a small smile as he read the silent question in her eyes. "It wasn't a dream." He paused, his own fingers now fiddling with the corner of the sheet. "But umm, you're going to be okay. You know that, right?"

She stared at him in silence, her eyes taking in each involuntary twitch in his neck, and the obvious restlessness in his fingers and eyes. He looked exhausted, but more than that, he looked nervous and maybe even a little scared, two things she'd never really associated with him. Biting her lower lip, she nodded slightly.

"Good," Sam said, letting out a breath. He hesitated. He really didn't want to upset her, but he had to know. "Do you remember anyone else?"

Andy bit down on lower lip a little harder. "We umm, we went for lunch with Oliver…" She paused. "And I missed parade because I was talking to Traci in the changeroom."

"Okay, good, that's a start," Sam replied, giving her another small smile. Knowing that she at least remembered a couple of other people made him feel a bit better, especially since he was sure that his time with her was rapidly coming to an end, at least for a few weeks or so. Seeing her face scrunch up a little, he quirked an eyebrow. "Spit it out McNally."

Andy took a deep breath. "It's just… I remember what was said and what I thought and felt… so I remember what happened and everything that day, but I…" She let out a frustrated noise. "Okay, umm, well like with Oliver… I know he doesn't like pickles on his sandwiches, and he's really nice. And uh, he was riding alone that day… But that's all I really know, and with Traci, umm, it's the same kind of thing, but I feel like maybe I should know her well, yet all I really know is what I talked to her about in the changeroom, and how she takes her coffee." Andy paused. "And with you… I… it's… well… uh…"

Sam nodded, doing his best to adopt a neutral expression. He wanted to press for details, but didn't want to push her too hard, and it was clear she was getting flustered. "It's okay," he said, squeezing her hand gently. "You don't need to remember everything right now. The important thing is that you're here." He paused, struggling to school his features as he continued, "And it doesn't matter how much you do and don't know now or down the road. It's going to take time, but we'll figure it out. You'll re-learn, make new memories. It won't be easy, but you'll be okay."

Andy opened her mouth intent on asking him something that had been on her mind since she'd first woken in the hospital. As she studied him now though, she thought better of it and snapped her mouth shut again, holding back a sigh. She needed to know the basics first before she could ask anything else. It was the only way she could maybe start to understand things. Resisting temptation, she asked, "So, how long have we been partners?"

"Since you started, two years ago," Sam replied, returning to his chair.

She tilted her head slightly, thinking. "So you were my training officer too?"

Sam nodded. A smile slowly spread across his face as he thought about how that came to be, and when he saw her quirk an eyebrow, he couldn't help but tell her. "I was undercover on your first day… well, for part of it. You and Oliver responded to a call in the building I was in, and he left you and another rookie to clear the place on your own. I ran, but I guess I matched the suspect description because you chased me down an alley, tackled me, and… cuffed me." He paused, biting back a smirk as he held back the usual _and tried to kiss _me that he always threw in. "Blew my cover that day."

She looked horrified. "Sorry," she said, colour creeping into her cheeks.

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "I was mad, but it really wasn't your fault. You were following protocol, and for a rookie, without knowing what was going on, it was pretty impressive." He smiled at her. "It was actually one of my buddies who blew my cover when you and Oliver brought me back to the station."

A frown slowly formed on her face. "If I broke your cover, then why were you my training officer?"

"Apparently the staff sergeant at the time had a wry sense of humour. Thought it would be a good idea for me to be your training officer. I thought he was crazy, and you were pretty horrified when it was announced, but you proved yourself in your second shift… Proved me wrong."

She smiled slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "So we're partners?"

Sam studied her face. There was something in her expression that suggested there was more to her question than she was letting on. He thought back to the way she'd looked at their hands earlier. Could she still sense their chemistry? Or was he reading into her question more than was intended simply because he wanted it to mean more. "Yes," he said, deciding to keep his answer just as simple. Seeing the way her eyes searched him, he questioned whether he should have said more. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut.

"Okay," she said, frowning. Not feeling brave enough to continue on that course, she changed the topic. "And Traci and I are close?"

"Best friends," Sam replied. "I think you met her at the academy."

"So I'd talk to her about pretty much everything?" she asked slowly, biting her lower lip as she thought about the conversation in the changeroom.

"Yup," Sam replied, not sure where this was going.

"Do you think she'd come here?"

Sam smiled. "She's been waiting to visit you." He pulled out his phone and fired off a quick text.

"Is my dad okay?" she asked slowly, changing the topic again.

Sam nodded. "He'll be okay."

The frown still hadn't left her face, yet she remained quiet until Traci arrived fifteen minutes later.

"Hey sweetie," Traci said, smiling big.

Andy gave a small smile. "Hey Traci."

Sam got up to leave, but Andy reached out and grabbed his hand. He turned to look at her wide-eyed.

"Stay," she said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. "Please."

Receiving a nod from Traci, Sam turned back to Andy. With his hand still in hers, he shuffled towards the bed slightly instead of returning to the chair.

"I brought something that might help," Traci said, her eyes flicking from Sam and Andy's hands to Andy's face as she handed over a large photo album.

Andy took it and with a deep breath, opened the book. Traci sat on the edge of the bed and started describing what was happening in each picture and who each person was.

About ten pages in, Andy started feeling overwhelmed – her heart rate increased. Sam unconsciously rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing manner. She felt herself start to relax a little to the comforting motion, waiting a few moments before risking a glance up at him. Even without remembering much about him, it was obvious he had no idea what he was doing, yet it seemed so natural. Realizing Traci had fallen silent, she looked over at her friend to find her smiling. Seconds later, Sam pulled his hand away and took a small step back, shoving his hands in his pockets. Torn between smiling and frowning, Andy looked from Traci to Sam and back again.

"Maybe we should continue another time?" Traci said.

"No, I need to know," Andy blurted out. She wanted to know everything, and if that wasn't possible, she'd settle for knowing about the most important aspects of her life as long as it included understanding why Sam was suddenly looking incredibly uncomfortable and why her own fiancé hadn't yet come to see her.

Traci nodded hesitantly.

Andy flipped the page, her eyes falling on a picture of her and Sam. As she stared at it, she stopped paying attention to Traci's explanation. The way Sam was looking at her in the picture and the look in his eyes told her that her partner wasn't just a partner to her. At least that was how she interpreted it. But what was he? She looked up at him, meeting his gaze and holding it for a moment before she turned back to the book, still no closer to knowing the truth than she was before. Traci, who had long-since realized that Andy had stopped listening, fell silent and looked from Sam to Andy.

"So is the guy I'm… engaged to somewhere in here?" Andy asked slowly.

Traci flipped through the book, stopping on a page partway through, and pointed to a picture in the bottom right corner.

Andy stared at the picture for a moment, taking in his blond hair and blue eyes. He was tall and definitely attractive, but something seemed to be missing from the picture. They were looking at each other, but it lacked intensity. She shook the thought away. She wouldn't be engaged to a guy if they didn't have a really strong connection. She was just being stupid; once Luke showed up, everything would be okay. Her eyes lingered on the picture a moment longer, her hand unconsciously rising to bite a fingernail. She looked happy in the picture and so did Luke – that wasn't the problem though. Andy shook that thought aside too. There wasn't a problem. Why would there be? It's just… It just seemed so ordinary.

"You okay sweetie?" Traci asked, seeing her friend's expression shift.

"Why hasn't he come?"

Traci looked over at Sam, but he merely shrugged, so Traci turned back to Andy. "Luke's working on a really big case. He's been really busy and there were some problems reaching him."

"Oh," Andy replied. There was a long stretch of silence before she said, "Well, umm, what is he like?"

Again, Traci and Sam exchanged looks. Neither one of them liked the guy and neither one of them thought Andy should marry him. "I'm sure he'll come soon," Sam said, doing his best to sound reassuring. "And when he does, you can see what he's like for yourself."

Traci pretended to be particularly interested in a loose thread at the bottom of her shirt.

Andy frowned as she looked between the two. "Neither of you like him, do you?"

Their eyes widened at that. Had they been that obvious? "You know what, there's this really good picture of—" Traci began, flipping through the book as she attempted to distract Andy.

"Why?" Andy interrupted.

Sam and Traci stared at one another, each willing the other to say something. "Yeah, uh, Swarek's got this one," Traci blurted out before Sam could do the same.

His mouth fell open, but he quickly recovered, glaring at his co-worker before adopting a softer expression as he turned to Andy. "Actually, I think since Traci's a woman, she might be able to explain what you may have seen in Callaghan better than I could... You know, answer your first question a lot better."

"No, no, no, no, no," Traci said, shaking her head. "Nope, not happening."

"Wait, so did I know you guys didn't like him before… everything?"

"Yes," Sam said.

"No," Traci said at the same time.

Andy turned to Traci, crossing her arms. "We're talking later." She then turned to Sam, "You're up."

"What?" Sam said, eyes wide.

"Well, you obviously told me once before, so you can tell me again now," Andy said, giving him a pointed look.

Traci smirked at Sam, who glared back at her.

"So?" Andy said.

"Uh," Sam began, scratching the back of his head. What he really wanted to do was escape, avoiding having to look her in the eye as he told her what he really thought of her fiancé. As he looked down at her though, he knew he couldn't exactly be completely honest with her, so he avoided the real question. "Look McNally, I don't know what it was, but you saw something in him, enough to want to marry him, so regardless of what we may or may not think, it's up to you to start forming your own opinion and conclusion on things."

Traci was shaking her head at him, disappointment on her face.

"Fine." Andy snapped the photo album shut and tossed it on the table beside the bed. "I'm kind of tired, so do you both mind… leaving?"

Traci looked back at Sam and made a wild hand gesture in an attempt to get him to say something.

Sam looked from Traci to Andy, opening his mouth. All he needed to do was say something, be honest, but the words caught in his throat. Snapping it shut again, he grabbed his jacket and phone off the chair and left without a word.

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you didn't find this chapter too dry – I know it covers a lot, but I thought it was necessary to really establish some of the relationships that are crucial for subsequent chapters, and to really start to show where Sam's head is at and how Andy is feeling. In the next chapter, "The Plan", Luke finally makes an appearance, and Traci has some rather revealing conversations with Andy, and Sam, which ultimately leads to "the plan."**


	3. Confessions

**Welcome back! Thanks for all of your reviews and follows, and of course for reading this story! FYI, this particular story assumes that a lot of events from season 1 and the beginning of season 2 took place. The only major difference is that I'm saying Andy's been a cop for about two years at this point, yet Luke and Andy are still together and Luke didn't cheat on her with Jo. **

**Recap: Andy wakes up in the hospital after having been shot in the back of the head – she soon discovers that she's suffering from severe memory loss and can only remember the events from the day of the accident. When Tommy finds out that Andy doesn't remember him, he asks Sam to take care of her, but when both Sam and Traci fail to answer Andy's questions, she gets mad and kicks them both out of her room. **

Andy woke to a nurse checking her chart and updating her information. Blinking away the sleep, she looked towards the chairs, her heart sinking when she realized they were empty.

The nurse gave her a small smile. "He's out in the hall; hasn't left since you were admitted."

"Sam?" Andy asked, perking up slightly despite the grogginess.

The nurse nodded.

"Has my fiancé come?"

"I'm afraid not," the nurse replied.

"Can you ask Sam to come in… please? If he wants… I mean, he doesn't have to..."

Again, the nurse smiled. "I'll let him know."

Andy fidgeted slightly, her stomach suddenly a bundle of nerves. She'd kicked him out, but he'd stayed.

Sam stopped in the doorway and watched her, biting back a smirk. "How are you feeling?"

"I thought you left," she said quietly, staring down at her hands.

"And leave you here to wake up alone?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Her eyes traveled from her hands to where her partner stood in the doorway. She gave him an appreciative smile. "I'm sorry," she blurted out.

Taking that as an invitation to enter the room, he walked towards the bed, stopping a few feet away from her. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he said gently. "I know you want answers, but there are some things you're better off figuring out with time."

"I guess," Andy said. Unable to think of a better response, she tried to ease the slight tension in the room. "TV?"

He shrugged, then took up a spot in the chair again. As Andy flipped through the channels, her focus on finding something semi-interesting to watch, Sam took the opportunity to study her.

"Oh my god," she shrieked.

Sam stiffened. "What's wrong?"

Andy pointed to the TV where an oddly shaved poodle was helping to promote an upcoming dog show.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the horrified expression on her face. "Ugly, huh?"

She turned to look at him, her mouth falling open. "Sam, I look like that dog."

A full-blown laugh erupted from his throat. "McNally, you look nothing like that dog."

"Yes I do," she insisted. "Come here." She held out her hand so he'd come closer, then rather abruptly, pulled it back and held it up to stop him. "Actually, no, you don't want to see it."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, bewildered. He sat back down in the chair and stared at her.

"They shaved part of my head where the bullet hit," Andy said. "I know it hit low so it will really only noticeable when my hair is up, but underneath all of the bandages it looks awful…" She shuddered. "I saw it when the nurse came in, and I'm telling you, I look like that dog. _Worse_ than that dog."

He tried really hard to keep the grin off his face but it was just one of those moments where Andy looked so exasperated that her face and eyes came alive. His heartbeat sped up a little.

"You're laughing at me," she accused, eyes narrowing.

"McNally, you look nothing like that dog. Absolute nothing like it," he emphasized. "And even if you had random patches shaved off, or your entire head was shaved, you'd still look gor… you'd still look fine."

Her eyes narrowed a little more.

"Uh, good?" he said, sensing she was waiting for more. Still, her expression hadn't changed. For the first time, he found himself almost squirming under her gaze. "McNally, you'd look great regardless… you do… and if it really bothers you that much I'll shave my head." Wait, what? Had he really just said that?

She grinned. "You would?"

He ground his teeth slightly. "Yeah."

"Okay," she said and he silently cursed. "But don't shave your head. I like it like that."

His eyes widened slightly – she'd been teasing him all along… or testing him? "You know what?" he said, crossing his arms. "You do kind of look like that poodle." His face split in a grin.

Her jaw dropped. She grabbed her sweater off the nightstand and threw it at his face, a smile breaking out on her own face as he snatched it mid-air.

Setting her sweater over the back of the chair, he said, "Alright McNally, don't wear yourself out too much. I have to go back to work tomorrow and I'd rather have my partner back sooner rather than later. So rest up, watch your cousin on TV—"

"Watch it," Andy warned, though she was grinning as her eyes scanned the nearby area for something else to throw.

"—and get back to work as soon as possible because the longer it takes you to come back, the more likely it is I'll strangle one of the rookies."

She rolled her eyes but laughed a little. Resting her head back on the pillow, she handed him the remote. "If I fall asleep, will you still be here when I wake up?"

Sam took the remote from her and nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

A smile touched her lips as she closed her eyes, her breathing evening out as sleep tugged at her consciousness.

* * *

"You can go now."

Sam looked up as Luke Callaghan entered the room, but made no effort to get up.

"You can leave," Luke said a little firmer this time.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sam replied. "I told her I'd be here when she woke up, and I will."

Luke sat down in the other chair, folding his arms across his chest. "She doesn't need you."

"You're going to wake her up," Sam warned, seeing Andy stir.

Sure enough, seconds later Andy's eyelids fluttered open and her gaze landed on them. She looked from Sam to the other man, recognition slowly dawning upon her as her mind went back to the photos Traci had shown her. It was her fiancé. Her eyes flicked back and forth. Neither man looked happy. Luke in particular looked like he was sending daggers at Sam with his eyes.

As she shifted a little more, both men turned to look at her.

"Hey Andy," Luke said getting to his feet and slowly approaching her.

She stared at him, but said nothing.

Turning back to Sam, Luke said, "I'd like to speak with her alone."

"No," Andy cried before she could stop herself, her hand shooting out in Sam's direction as the word slipped from her mouth. Despite the sudden and obvious discomfort that washed over his features, she kept her hand out.

Sam hesitated. Luke looked furious. Then again, he really didn't care about Callaghan. Andy had a pleading look in her eyes. Biting back a sigh, he forced himself to his feet and took her warm hand in his, allowing her to pull him right up to the edge of the bed.

Luke rounded on him. "What did you say to her?"

"I've said a lot of things," Sam replied, keeping his eyes on Andy.

Luke laughed dryly. "I should've known you'd be here, feeding her crap you don't even know the first thing about." He walked around the other side of the bed and took Andy's right hand in his.

Her eyes widened. "Sam hasn't said anything about you."

Luke laughed in disbelief. "Yeah, well I'm sure he's had plenty of things to say about himself."

"No, he hasn't," said Andy, frowning.

"Either way, he can go now," Luke said, using his other hand to tuck some hair behind her ear before leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead.

Andy couldn't help but pull back. Even if they were engaged, she didn't remember him, so having a stranger kiss her made her uncomfortable. She was so thrown off that she didn't notice the unconscious tightening of Sam's hand. Trying to shake off her discomfort, she said "Where have you been?"

Luke looked at her, surprised. "I've been buried under a major case."

"And you couldn't step away for a few minutes?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I was doing it for us," Luke said.

"I don't even remember us," Andy said. "So is working on a case really more important than helping me remember?"

"What do you want to know?" Luke asked.

Sam finally managed to pull free of her grasp. "I'm going to get coffee or just go… it's getting late and with work tomorrow..." He left it hanging. He could see her pleading look, but all he could do was shake his head. He didn't want to leave, but he couldn't be in here and listen to Luke recount their relationship. Stepping out of the room, he closed the door softly behind him, then leaned up against the wall, sighing as he rubbed his face with his hands. It was several minutes before he kicked himself off the wall and went in search of coffee and something to eat, knowing that he didn't have much in the way of groceries at home. He was just getting up from the little table in the café when he saw Traci.

"I thought you'd be up there," Traci said, frowning.

"Callaghan finally made an appearance," he replied. "I wasn't going to stick around and witness that."

She smiled. "Even if she doesn't remember your history, how you guys were, it's obvious she still feels a connection with you. The way she looked at you when she saw those pictures, I'm pretty sure she knows you're more than just her partner."

Sam shook his head. "We were only ever partners."

"Technically, yes, but I know you wanted more and even if she wouldn't admit it, I know she did too."

"None of that matters anymore," Sam said, waving his hand. "She doesn't remember anything before the day of the accident, and even if she did, she'd still be on her way to marrying that guy."

Traci smirked. "Maybe, maybe not… but she remembers you, not him. She remembers me because we were talking that morning… about you. And you said she remembers Oliver, and, well, he's not exactly a Luke supporter either."

Sam frowned. "So? What does any of this matter?" When her words started sinking in, he turned to look at her, an eyebrow quirked. "Why were you talking about me?"

Traci grinned. "I think it's time I have a little girl chat with her, see what's going on in that head of hers."

"Really?" Sam said angrily. "That's it? You're not going to tell me?"

"Not yet," Traci said. "Let me talk to her first. But don't go anywhere. I have a feeling you're going to want to stick around and hear me out. That is, if she isn't still mad at me."

Sam hesitated, then gestured to the table at the café again. "I'll be here."

Traci grinned. "Good."

* * *

"Whoa," Traci said as she entered Andy's room, her eyes widening upon seeing Luke kissing Andy. She was suddenly very thankful that Sam hadn't been the one to enter the room.

Luke pulled away from Andy and smiled down at her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Andy nodded slowly, biting down on her lower lip.

The second the door was shut Traci put her hands on her hips. "What was that?"

"He kissed me."

"Yeah, I saw that," Traci said. "And you let him."

"I didn't know what to do," Andy admitted. "It's just really confusing. I mean, I'm supposed to be marrying him, right?"

Traci nodded, then sighed. She had to tone it down if she wanted Andy to hear her out. "How was it?"

"Confusing," Andy replied. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Was I happy with Luke?"

Traci sat on the edge of the bed. She'd tried not to say too much before, but all that accomplished was making her friend mad. Now that Andy had met Luke, maybe she should try being a little more open. "Yes and no." She paused. "I think you tried to be. You tried really hard. I mean, he loves you and I think part of you loves him too, or at least the idea of him." Seeing Andy's eyebrows furrow, she continued, "You had a lot of problems though. I mean, he was sweet and there was a time when you thought he was perfect. Even I thought he was the right choice, the good choice." She chuckled slightly. "You even admitted that you always seemed to pick the bad boy and wound up getting hurt, so when Luke seemed interested, I encouraged you to give it a shot because he seemed like a good guy… he is a good guy, but now I'm not so sure I was right."

"What do you mean?" Andy asked slowly.

"You spent so many nights alone because he was too busy with work. He always chose work over you. Even when you needed him the most, he just wasn't there. Like now… he did it again and you could have died."

"Then why did I stay with him?"

Traci sighed. "Andy, you're the kind of person who wants to fix things. If something's broken or damaged, you don't want to throw it away, you want to fix it… I'm not saying it was wrong, but your relationship wasn't perfect and, well, we've used the term 'fake it 'til you make it' before and it sort of just applied. You care about each other, and I think you truly wanted to believe that you were making the right decision, but you hesitated a lot too."

"He doesn't like Sam," Andy said. "Luke accused him of telling me things, like I was going to be swayed or something."

"They don't get along," Traci replied, shrugging.

"Why?"

"A lot of reasons, but you'll have to ask them."

Andy hesitated. "Were Sam and I ever more than just partners?"

Traci smiled slightly. "You were always more than just partners."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" She was having a hard time digesting everything.

"Sweetie, why are you asking me about Sam?"

Andy shook her head. "I just… well… It's just that when Luke held my hand, and even when he kissed me, it just felt ordinary. Not bad, I don't think, but just…" She paused. "It's not like I'm expecting fireworks or anything, but there just really wasn't anything." She sighed. "I thought maybe my initial impression from the pictures was wrong, that it would be different in person, but I don't think it is."

"Picture," Traci corrected.

"No," Andy said firmly. "Pictures."

"There was only one with you and Luke," Traci said.

"I know," Andy replied.

"You mean the one with you and Sam too?"

Andy nodded and Traci was barely able to hold back a grin. "I'm just so confused. How can I be engaged to Luke when I don't feel anything and don't remember him? And then… and then there's Sam. I remember him from that day. I remember talking to you about him, and being on shift with him… the way he looked at me, the way we bantered… how he knew exactly how to make my coffee… everything."

"You've worked with Sam for a long time," Traci said.

"Yeah, I guess," Andy replied. "But that doesn't explain why when I was looking at him that day, _really_ looking at him, I…"

"You what?" Traci pressed, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Andy shook her head. "I just don't understand how I can feel so distant with my fiancé, but want my partner by my side all the time. I don't get why it feels so warm when he holds me hand or why I feel so safe when he's around… why I even feel anything when he's around."

"He's always been there for you."

"But what were we?"

"Complicated," Traci replied.

"Because?"

Traci hesitated a fraction of a second before throwing all caution to the wind. "Because the timing was never right. He was your training officer and there's a rule against and rookies being in relationships. So, you went with Luke because he was the safe choice. That's always been your fall back point, that Luke is the safe choice – he can hurt you, but he can't break you."

Andy's eyes widened. "And Sam can?"

"Maybe," Traci replied. "But you have a clean slate now. You've gotta figure things out on your own. Do what's best for you.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Traci was back down in the café, sliding into the seat across from Sam. He had his head in his hands and she suspected his eyes were closed. If she'd been sleeping in a hospital chair for that long, she probably would have passed out a long while ago. "Come with me."

Sam opened his eyes, blinking back the sleepiness as he followed Traci out of the hospital and towards a bench. When she turned to face him, she was grinning. "That accident, that may have been the best thing to happen to you."

He stared at her in disbelief. His partner had almost died… Andy had almost died. In what world could that ever be considered the best thing to happen to him?

She shook her head, waving her hands around. "Don't you get it? She doesn't remember him. She told me Luke verbally attacked you, so right now she doesn't exactly have a good impression of him. And he actually had the nerve to kiss her, but the best part is, she admitted she really didn't feel anything. She doesn't even understand why she was with the guy. She only knows she's with him because we told her. But that's the only thing – that idea that she was with him – that has her holding on." When Sam tried to interrupt, Traci held up her hand to silence him. "Before she was so stubborn and she kept making up excuses, but right now, she doesn't know him and she doesn't have those memories or those excuses. It's going to take a miracle for Luke to win her back."

"Yeah, well, with the hit she took, she should have died, so you could call that a miracle too. And since that happened, I wouldn't say Luke winning her back is out of the question either."

"Seriously?" Traci asked, exasperated.

"Nash, McNally isn't going to leave him. No matter what she thinks about him right now, she's going to keep reminding herself that there had to have been a reason she was with him in the first place, and she'll hold onto that, even if she doesn't know what it is."

"Maybe for a bit," Traci admitted. "I think she'll hold onto him for a bit until she can really come to terms with not remembering her past, but sooner or later she's bound to realize that she can no longer live based on what may or may not have happened; she has to live based on what she knows now. And right now, you're in luck."

He frowned.

Smirking, she continued, "Look, you saw her face when she was looking at the pictures. You saw the way she wouldn't let go of your hand… She felt something. She felt something with you when she didn't feel anything with Luke. She senses there's more to her relationship with you than just being partners… So here's what we're going to do…" She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

Sam stared at her, his mouth falling open. "I'm not breaking them up," Sam said in disbelief.

"You won't have to, you just have to do what you've always been doing. Show her you're always there for her. Show her you know her and what she needs."

"It's not that simple," Sam argued, looking away. "What happens if she remembers? What if she remembers why she stayed with him? She'd resent me. Regret everything."

"No she wouldn't," Traci argued. "She just needs a little push. That's what she's always needed. Once she realizes you've always been the right one, she won't think twice about Luke."

"This isn't right," Sam said uneasily. "She chose him."

"Because you didn't fight for her," Traci snapped, before clapping her hand over her mouth.

Sam turned to look at her again. "What?"

Traci shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't meant to say that, but she supposed it was better if he knew. Letting out a breath, she explained, "Andy told me what happened the night she killed the guy. She told me she went to you… told me what almost happened."

"Yeah, a mistake," Sam said, his teeth clenched.

"She felt guilty," Traci admitted, "But she called it the best mistake of her life. But then you had to go and tell her 'it was what it was'…"

Sam laughed dryly. "What was I supposed to say? She was going to Callaghan's fishing cabin for a romantic night alone with him. Something _she_ suggested."

"Yeah, but not by choice. She was trying to get out of it, but Luke told her he'd already talked to you and that you'd agreed to make sure she was done shift on time. Oh, and she suggested it at least a month before the shooting, not after it."

"She still could have gotten out of it if she really wanted to," Sam said after a long moment.

"At that point, why would she have? She wanted to talk to you and you shut her down. You rejected her, so of course she went with Luke. He wanted her, and he wasn't afraid to admit it… And you," Traci said, jabbing him with a finger. "You made it seem like you wanted nothing to do with her."

He remained silent.

"All you had to do was fight for her, tell her what you wanted," Traci said. She waited a moment for it to sink in. "There were so many times you pushed her away. After the Gabe and Edie incident, you pushed her back to Luke... After the prisoner transport, you lied to Luke for her and you pushed her back to him... We all know the way you look at her, and the way you get when she's in danger. It's obvious how you feel about her, but anytime she starts leaning more in your direction, you just push her away, so of course she went to Luke, got engaged to him. His priorities are wrong, but he's a good guy, and in her mind, there really wasn't anyone or anything to hold her back."

It was true, he had pushed her away a lot, but he didn't want her to regret anything and, for the most part, she seemed happy with Luke, as much as it killed him to think that.

"She spent more time talking about you than about Luke," Traci continued, giving him a pointed look. "She'd occasionally talk about something sweet that he did, or about how he was never really around anymore, but whatever it was, whatever she said, the way she said talked about him was never the same. It always lacked the same passion and emotion as when she talked about you." Traci paused. "You know, she'd kill me if she knew I was telling you all of this, but you need to understand. You can't push her away again. You have a clean slate now and you know her. You know what you need to do, and you can't let her make the same mistake again. _You_ can't make the same mistake again. You need to fight for her."

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Hope to see you back for Chapter 4.**


	4. Promise

**Welcome back! Once again, thanks for your awesome reviews, and your follows and favourites. The amount of support you guys have shown so far is absolutely incredible and it's greatly appreciated! I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. **

**Recap: Andy wakes up in the hospital after having been shot in the back of the head – she soon discovers that she's suffering from severe memory loss and can only remember the events from the day of the accident. Despite essentially being kicked out of her room, Sam waits in the hallway, not wanting to leave her alone. They end up talking things over, but when Andy sees a dog on TV, a discussion ensues over whether or not she looks like a poodle. Luke makes an appearance and doesn't exactly give Andy a good "first" impression, and Traci has some rather revealing conversations with Andy, and Sam, which ultimately leads her to coming up with "the plan". **

"You can't stop thinking about her can you?" Traci said, nudging Sam's arm. She'd been watching him at the crime scene for several minutes and he definitely wasn't focused the way he usually was.

"Don't know what you're talking about Nash," Sam lied, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Uh huh," Traci said, smirking. "Back at work without your rookie, working with Epstein. Yeah, I'm sure your thoughts haven't been anywhere near a certain brunette lying in a hospital bed."

Sam glanced over at her, but said nothing at first. When she didn't leave, he sighed. "What do you want?"

Traci crossed her arms. "Have you seen her yet today?"

He shook his head. "You?"

"I was planning on going to see her for lunch, but with this," Traci gestured to the scene. "I don't know when that will be."

Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing when they fell on Luke. Of course Callaghan would be here, it was a homicide and he was the leading homicide detective at the moment. Sam unconsciously ground his teeth together.

Traci followed his gaze and couldn't help but laugh, earning a glare from Sam. "I didn't think it was possible, but I think you've got it worse now that she's lost her memory."

"Let it go," Sam growled. Ever since Andy had walked in with the USB and saved both Emily and him on their first shift together, she'd somehow managed to find a place in his life… and even in his heart. He'd rapidly become protective of her, and really hadn't even tried to deny it. He couldn't have anyway. Every time she'd found herself in danger, he'd lost control and on numerous occasions he'd found himself stepping into her personal space and nearly kissing her the second he saw she was okay. One way or another, however, he'd always managed to regain control in time, but seeing her in the hospital bed and knowing how close she'd come to dying was making things increasingly difficult. That didn't mean he was prepared to hash it out with Traci though.

"Uh, earth to Swarek, did you not listen to a word I said yesterday?" Traci said, the unintentional rise in her voice attracting the attention of several nearby officers. "Fight for her."

"Get back to work Nash," Sam said, schooling his features.

She gaped at him. "I can't believe you're doing this. After everything, you're just going to let this go… let _her_ go."

Sam turned and started walking away.

"Yeah, that's right Swarek, walk away like you always do... No wonder she chose Luke." She knew she was baiting him, but he just didn't seem to get it.

He turned back to face her, unmistakable rage written in every line on his face.

Traci stepped back, eyes wide. She'd seen Sam Swarek angry before, but never like this. "I… uh…"

"Sir?"

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face Dov Epstein. "What?" he snapped.

"Callaghan wants us to do another sweep of the area," Dov said, his eyes flicking from Sam to Traci. "Is everything okay?" he asked a little more hesitantly.

"We're walking," Sam said, ignoring the junior officer's question. There was no way he was going to willingly confine himself to the small quarters of a car with this kid. Walking around with him was already going to test every last bit of his patience, but at least this way he could try to put some extra distance between them.

"Uh, yup, okay," Dov said, turning around in a hurry and walking to the right, eager to get away from his partner.

"Epstein," Sam said, his temper flaring again. When the kid turned back to look at him, Sam gestured to the left.

"Yup, got it," Dov said, changing direction and quickening his pace so he could get a few steps ahead of Sam.

The next hour was largely spent sweeping the area, looking for anything that seemed off, and talking to anyone in the nearby shops. It was dull work, but necessary.

Feeling the beads of sweat forming on his skin from the intense heat of the sun, Sam looked over at Dov. "Why don't you go across the street and get us something cold to drink?"

Dov nodded, bounding across the street and vanishing inside one of the shops. Sighing, Sam ran a hand through his hair, wishing the day was over. As he waited for his partner, his eyes traveled down the street, a toy store catching his attention. Glancing over at the café where Dov was, he hesitated, then headed for the toy store.

"Can I help you?" the man behind the counter asked as Sam stepped inside.

Sam shook his head, his eyes scanning the shelves. He wasn't even sure if they had what he was looking for, but he wasn't about to ask. Still, he hunted, grinning for the first time that day as he picked up an item and headed back to the counter.

The man quirked an eyebrow as he looked down at Sam's selection. "Gift for your son or daughter?"

"Nope," Sam replied, not bothering to elaborate. "Can I get a bag for that?" he asked, after swiping his credit card.

Within minutes he was leaving the store, spotting Dov further down the street, his head swinging left to right, no doubt wondering where his partner had gone. "Epstein," Sam called out. "Let's head back."

Dov's head swiveled in his direction, giving a sharp nod, and only waiting long enough to hand Sam his drink before heading back to the scene at a faster than usual pace. Sam followed a little ways behind. Seeing Traci getting into one of the squad cars, however, he sped up and called out her name.

Traci turned to look at him, tensing until she saw the expression on his face had changed. Still, she hesitated before approaching him.

"Are you going to see her now?"

Traci nodded.

Sam shoved the bag into her hands. "Can you give this to her?"

She looked down into the bag, struggling not to laugh. "Uh, Swarek, what is this?"

Sam crossed his arms. "Just give it to her and don't mention it to anyone."

Traci frowned. "Ooookay."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "And stop by the diner. I'll place an order for both of you; I just need you to pick it up and take it to her." He put some money in her hand.

A grin spread across Traci's face.

"Don't start," Sam said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Traci slapped Sam's arm in a congratulatory manner. "You know, I'm not sure about this," she said, gesturing to the bag, "But this new way of thinking is good. I mean, I think she'd prefer seeing you, but this is a good start." She paused. "Can I tell her you'll stop by later?"

Sam nodded. As Traci left, he pulled out his phone and placed an order at the diner.

* * *

"Hey," Andy said, turning off the TV as Traci stepped into the room.

Traci smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Andy replied, "But I'm okay I guess."

"Well, Sam had me pick up some food for you… well, us," Traci said. "So maybe that will make you feel better."

Andy smiled, happily accepting the food from Traci. The hospital food was disgusting. "How's work?"

"Uh, it's busy," Traci replied. "I wasn't so sure I'd ever make it back here, but it's just one of those days. We've all been caught up at a big scene… Sam, Dov, Luke, a bunch of us." She laughed. "Sam and Dov are partnered together today… I'm actually really surprised Dov's still alive right now."

Andy frowned. "Why, what happened?"

Traci shook her head, forcing a smile. "Just had a little disagreement with Swarek this morning, and well, I didn't exactly set Dov up for a smooth day, but it's good now. Things are fine."

They made small talk while eating. When Andy finally put her fork down and pushed the takeout container away, Traci remembered the other bag. "Oh, umm, Sam also wanted me to give you this," she said as she passed the bag over. "I guess it's supposed to help make you feel better… somehow."

Andy took the bag, frowning as she opened it to reveal something white and furry. She shot Traci a questioning look before pulling the item out of the bag, her eyes widening and a grin appearing on her face before she broke out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. The only thing that stopped it was the sharp pain that shot through her head as her entire body shook from laughing. Taking a few deep breaths to regain her composure, Andy moved her eyes from the stuffed animal poodle to her friend who looked bewildered to say the least. She quickly explained the whole poodle situation from the other day.

Traci grinned. "Now I get it. I seriously thought he'd lost it, but clearly I didn't give him enough credit." She glanced at her watch, groaning. "I have to get back out there, but uh, Sam said he'd stop by later to see you."

Andy smiled. "Thanks for coming," she said. "And be careful out there."

"See you tomorrow Andy."

* * *

She looked back down at the poodle, laughing softly before shifting her pillows, reaching for her phone, and laying her head down on the stuffed animal.

_Jerk ;)_ she typed.

Sam finished making some notes in his notepad before reaching for his buzzing phone. He chuckled. _Thought you could use some company_, he replied.

_Thank you __J_

He smiled.

_For the food too_, Andy typed. _Traci said you're stopping by later?_

_If you're feeling up for some more company?_

_I don't know... I have this poodle now and he doesn't give me attitude or tell me I look ugly. _She bit her lip as she waited for a response.

Sam smirked, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching before responding. _Sounds boring. _He hit send, then added_, And for the record, I never called you ugly. I've never thought that._

Andy stared at the screen, struggling to hold back a grin despite nobody else being in the room. She hesitated. _I miss you… got used to you being here every time I woke up._

Sam sucked in a lungful of air, trying not to read too much into her comment.

"You okay?"

His head snapped up, spotting Traci walking towards him. "Yeah," he replied.

"You're talking to her now, aren't you?" Traci said, grinning. He had that look on his face, the one that seemed to be reserved for Andy.

Sam nodded and because he wasn't sure how to respond to Andy's text, he passed his phone to Traci, cringing when she started squealing. "Quiet," he hissed.

"Oh my god," Traci said, practically bouncing with excitement. "You're a genius. You should have seen her face when she saw that poodle. I thought you were so clueless, but she _loved_ it."

Sam hesitated. "But how do I respond to her text?"

Traci shook her head, handing the phone back. "Just be honest, but whatever you say, hurry up because you're leaving her hanging and she's going to start getting confused, worried, whatever… So the longer you wait, the more you risk backtracking on the progress you made today."

Sam nodded, waiting until Traci left before turning his attention back to his phone. He quickly checked the time. _Get some rest McNally. The next time you wake up, I'll be there._

_Promise?_

Sam took another look at the scene in front of him. Things were slowly starting to wrap up, but it could still be a few more hours before he could get away, and he had enough experience on the job to know that things could always come up last minute. _I promise_.

**Thanks for reading! This particular chapter wasn't exactly planned, but I felt like I needed to add something in before the next one, so this sort of just had a mind of its own. Hope you enjoyed it though.**

**…So what do you guys think so far? And do you think Sam will be able to keep his promise to Andy? **


	5. Sorry

**Welcome back! Thanks again for all of your awesome reviews, follows, and favourites! I love your reactions/suggestions/predictions so far, so I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think. **

**Now, I'll give the usual recap, and then we'll find out if Sam was able to keep his promise.**

**Recap: Andy wakes up in the hospital after having been shot in the back of the head – she soon discovers that she's suffering from severe memory loss and can only remember the events from the day of the accident. Andy's drawn to Sam, but is confused to learn that she's engaged to Luke, a man that made a really bad "first" impression on her. While at a scene, Sam sees a stuffed animal poodle that reminds him of his conversation with Andy at the hospital – he ends up buying it for her. After texting back and forth, Sam ends up promising Andy that he'll be at the hospital when she wakes up, even though he's had enough experience as a cop to know that things can always come up last minute.**

"Epstein, get in the car," Sam said. "Let's go." He checked the time again, letting out a frustrated sigh. They'd already been caught up at the scene for two and a half hours longer than he'd expected, and at this rate, he'd never make it to the hospital before she woke up.

"Swarek!"

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, only dropping his hand when he turned to face Luke. "What do you want?"

"We need to run through the details again," Luke said.

Sam let out a small laugh in disbelief. "You want to compare notes _again_? Couldn't get it all the first time Callaghan?" He had a sneaking suspicion the man knew how badly he wanted to get out of there.

Before Luke could respond, his phone rang. When he hung up, there was a smirk plastered on his face. "Alright Swarek, you don't want to compare notes? You can go pick up the perp instead. We have an ID."

Sam stiffened, glancing at his watch again. "Why don't you ask the next shift?"

"Because I want him picked up now," Luke said sharply. "And I don't have time to brief the next shift."

Overhearing, Traci jumped in. "We'll get him." She couldn't be sure, but she suspected Sam's rush had something to do with Andy.

"Speak for yourself," Oliver grumbled.

Traci nudged Oliver and, when Luke wasn't looking, nodded in Sam's direction.

"Oh," Oliver said quietly, upon seeing the look on his friend's face. In a much louder tone, he added, "Yup… yeah, we'll get the guy, Callaghan. No problem."

Luke frowned. "Alright, fine. Nash, Shaw, you get our guy and—"

"Epstein and I will get going," Sam said quickly, after shooting Traci and Oliver an appreciative smile.

"Actually, I think I'd still like to compare notes," Luke said.

Sam looked over at Dov, hesitating a moment before finally looking back at the detective. "Looks like you're going to have to talk to Epstein about that," Sam said. "He took the notes… can tell you everything you want to know."

"But—" began Dov.

"He's the expert," Sam hurried out, watching as Dov's anger started to vanish. "More than capable of taking the lead on this one." The kid now looked a little smug, puffing his chest out.

"Yeah, I can tell you everything you need to know sir," Dov said to Luke.

Sam bit back a sigh, thankful that all it took was stroking the kid's ego a little from time to time to get him to cooperate.

Luke looked over at Sam suspiciously, but Sam stared evenly back at him. "Fine," Luke snapped when he was unable to come up with another excuse.

Before anyone could say another word, Sam got in the car and headed for the station to quickly change and drop off his gun. Despite getting in and out within record time, however, he found himself caught up in a traffic jam halfway to the hospital. "You've got to be kidding me," Sam growled, slamming his fist against the dash. He scanned the street for an alternative route, but the road was packed. His eyes flicked from the time to the road and back again several times per minute, his frustration growing when after half an hour, traffic had hardly budged.

By the time he reached the hospital and was dashing inside, he was in a foul mood, mentally kicking himself for having ever promised to be there when she woke up. He knew how unpredictable the job was, and he'd been stupid to think he could somehow pull it off. The prospect of her being upset or disappointed with him made his stride falter. What the hell was he even doing? He slowed to a walk and then stopped altogether.

"Don't stop now."

Sam looked over his shoulder, frowning at the nurse behind him. Had she really just said that?

"She's still sleeping."

He quirked an eyebrow.

The woman smiled, giving him a knowing look. "She fought to stay awake for as long as possible, lasted about an hour and a half before the meds knocked her out cold. Hasn't budged since. And when I asked her about it, she said she was waiting for someone; wanted him to be there when she woke up."

Sam's eyes widened and despite shaking his head at her stupidity, he couldn't help but grin. He'd been fighting what he thought was a losing battle, but he hadn't been fighting it alone. With a quick nod to the nurse, he headed straight for Andy's room, only stopping when he reached the doorway.

Sure enough, her eyes were still closed. She was lying on her side, her head resting on the stuffed animal poodle, with one arm draped up over the area that wasn't occupied by her head. Her face was relaxed and although she still didn't quite look like her usual self, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her. The way her hair fanned out across her face; the slight upward curve of her lips despite the fact that she was still fast asleep; the way her hands looked so dainty yet could pack a mean punch… His heart skipped a beat, snapping him out of his reverie. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he snapped a quick picture of her, before finally forcing his feet to carry him forward and back towards the chair he'd previously occupied.

He couldn't help but continue to stare at her, knowing he may never get to watch her sleep like this again.

It was at least ten minutes before she stirred. Even before she opened her eyes, a smile slowly spread across her face. It grew when her eyelids fluttered open and she saw Sam sitting in the chair beside her bed. "You made it."

Sam nodded. "I heard I had some help," he replied, struggling to keep the grin off his face.

A blush crept into her cheeks and he could have sworn she muttered something under her breath about the nurse being a traitor.

He started to smile, but his face almost immediately fell as another thought hit him. "I uh, would have brought you food but I was held up at work, and—"

"Sam?" Andy interrupted, her expression becoming serious. "Shut up."

His mouth fell open, until he saw the smile forming on her face.

"I'm just glad you're here," she said a little shyly.

"Wish I could say the same about you," Sam said grimly.

"Is that why you're here?" Andy asked. "Because you feel guilty for something that wasn't even your fault."

"I was your partner," Sam said quietly. "And I couldn't even keep you safe."

"How could you?" Andy asked. "I mean, Oliver told me I'm some kind of danger magnet. He said I have been since my first shift… probably even before. So how could you possibly blame yourself—"

"I screwed up."

"Sam, I was there. I _actually _remember that day. And we didn't screw up; we were just unlucky."

"You could have died, Andy," Sam said. "You almost did."

"But I didn't. And even if I had, it still wouldn't have been your fault," she said. Before he could argue, she added, "Nobody else blames you. It's just you. But if you really feel that bad… if that's really why you're here, then just go." She pushed herself up into a sitting position and hurled the poodle at his head.

His eyes widened, and he barely managed to defend himself. "You think I'm here because I feel guilty?"

"It's starting to seem that way," Andy said angrily. She knew she shouldn't be upset, that she was really lucky he was around at all, but nothing was making sense anymore and the stress of it all was starting to get to her again. "The food, the stuffed dog… spending pretty much all of your time here even though you look exhausted. You need to stop. I don't blame you, so just stop all of this."

Sam clenched his teeth together. "None of that had anything to do with guilt, McNally. You want to know why I bring you food? It's because I know how disgusting and repetitive hospital food can be. And the dog? It reminded me of you. And yeah, maybe I'm a little tired, but I can sleep later. I'm not here because I feel guilty. I'm here because…" He took a deep breath, reigning in his anger before he said something he shouldn't… like that he was here because he loved her. "I'm here because I know how boring it can be sitting around all day."

"So you feel bad for me? Pity me?" Andy asked.

He rubbed his face, wondering how it had gone from one extreme to the other in such a short amount of time. "No," he said, getting to his feet. He couldn't do this right now. It had been a long day, he was exhausted, and he was really struggling to keep his emotions in check. As he set the poodle on the bed, he said, "I'll try to stop by tomorrow."

"Don't bother," Andy snapped, her eyes widening seconds later. Sam looked at her for a moment before turning and heading for the door. "No, Sam, wait, I didn't mean that."

"Get some rest McNally," Sam said without looking back at her. With that, he left. Once he reached his truck, however, he hesitated, sitting in the driver's seat for several minutes wondering what he should have done differently. All he knew was that he'd just screwed up.

Buzz.

He waited a few seconds before reaching for his phone, figuring it was probably Oliver asking if he was going to The Penny. It wasn't though. It was Andy.

_Please don't go. _

He hesitated, then set his phone back down without responding.

Buzz.

_I didn't mean it. _

Buzz.

_I'm sorry, really sorry._

Buzz.

_I'm just really confused... Everything is confusing. And sometimes I just don't know how to deal with it. Any of it._

Buzz.

_But that's not an excuse. I really am sorry._

Buzz.

_Please._

Sam read through all of the texts and sighed, though he still wasn't sure what to do.

Buzz.

_I'm coming._

Buzz.

_Once I find out where you live._

Sam's eyes widened. Was she serious? Knowing there was a good chance she would actually try to find him, he fired back a quick text: _Sit tight._

He quickly made his way back into the hospital and up to her room, hesitating for a brief moment before stepping inside. In that moment, he knew she was dead serious about tracking him down. She'd managed to sit up completely and shift so her legs were dangling off the side of the bed. Her phone was clutched in one hand, she had tears streaming down her face, and her head was turned towards the machines and it was obvious she was trying to figure out how to unhook herself from them. Because she was so focused on the machines, she still hadn't noticed him. _Busted_, he typed, then hit send. He watched her read the text, blinking hard in confusion before her eyes slowly found his. He leaned up against the doorway, watching her in silence.

"I'm sorry," Andy said, her voice shaking. She tried to slide off the bed.

Sam lunged forward, caught her mid-slide, and gently lifted her back up onto the bed. "Going somewhere?"

She flung her arms around his middle, burying her head in his chest as she cried.

He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. "I sort of lied… I come here because I want to see you," he said softly, running a soothing hand up and down her back. He'd been angry before, but he couldn't be anymore. It was clear she genuinely felt bad, and as much as it had sucked to hear, he was positive she hadn't actually meant it. He couldn't even fathom what it would like to lose your memory, but considering the circumstances, he thought she was handling things rather well. No doubt her attempt to stay awake earlier had left her even more exhausted than usual, and with the stress of her situation, he really couldn't blame her for snapping at him. He probably would have done the same.

"Sam?" she mumbled into his chest.

"Yeah McNally?"

"I'm glad I sort of remember you," she said quietly.

His lips tugged upward slightly. "Me too."

She tugged him towards the bed so he was sitting, but didn't let go. They stayed like that for several minutes in silence before she spoke again. "Sam?"

He frowned. She sounded so hesitant. "Yeah?"

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

_Neither do I, McNally_, he thought to himself as he continued to run his hand up and down her back until she fell asleep in his arms.

That's how Luke found them hours later when he arrived at the hospital, carrying a bouquet of flowers. He contemplated storming in and breaking them apart, but he knew he'd already given Andy a bad "first" impression, and if he walked into the room now, he'd only make things worse. Since Sam still hadn't seen him, Luke backed up and headed towards the front desk.

"How can I help you honey?" the nurse said.

"I'd like to revoke someone's visitor access," Luke said, leaning against the counter. "Sam Swarek."

The nurse stared at him for a long moment before scribbling the name on a piece of paper. "Well, our system is currently down, but I'll make sure that gets updated as soon as possible, okay?"

Luke nodded. "Thank you."

The nurse smiled at him, watching as Luke vanished down the hallway before exchanging a look with her co-worker and tossing the piece of paper in the trash.

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think. **

**Up next, what happens when Andy challenges Sam in a way that will threaten his bad-boy reputation? Will he accept the challenge? And how does Sam react when Andy reveals her impression of him?**


	6. Losing Control

**Welcome back! I loved "hearing" your thoughts about the last chapter – your comments on Luke in particular made me laugh. It reminded me of what Eric Johnson wrote on his Twitter profile: "That guy you hate on Rookie Blue". Speaking of which (I've been forgetting to mention this for the last few updates), you can also find me on Twitter ****(**** RB_ADI2DE****). I try to post links to all of my story/chapter updates there.**

**Anyway, thank you guys for all of your reviews, follows, and favourites. As always, I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think!**

**Recap: ****Andy wakes up in the hospital after having been shot in the back of the head – she soon discovers that she's suffering from severe memory loss and can only remember the events from the day of the accident. Andy's drawn to Sam, but is confused to learn that she's engaged to Luke, a man that made a really bad "first" impression on her. While at a scene, Sam sees a stuffed animal poodle that reminds him of his conversation with Andy at the hospital – he ends up buying it for her. After texting back and forth, Sam ends up promising Andy that he'll be at the hospital when she wakes up, even though he's had enough experience as a cop to know that things can always come up last minute. In the end, Sam is just barely able to keep his promise, but things quickly become tense with Andy. Although they manage to smooth things over, it looks like Luke is going to try to through a wrench into the mix when he asks a nurse to restrict Sam's visitor access. **

Andy fidgeted with the sheets as she waited for the doctor to come in.

"McNally, just relax, he'll be here soon."

"I've been stuck in this bed for _three_ weeks, Sam… Three whole weeks," Andy said. "What if he says I can't get up and walk around?"

"That's a big _what if_ McNally."

She let out a frustrated sigh.

He watched her a moment longer, then got to his feet and took her left hand in his, gently squeezing it until she looked up at him. "_If_ they don't let you walk, we'll find you a wheelchair, grab—"

"I don't want a wheelchair," Andy whined. "I want to walk… I want to run."

He smirked. "You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, find you a wheelchair, grab someone from down the hall, and have a race."

Her eyes widened. "Yeah because I'm sure the nurses would be okay with that," she said, laughing. "They'd _definitely_ kick you out."

"I don't know McNally, I think the nurses like me," Sam said, his tongue going to the inside of his cheek when he saw her expression darken. Was that a hint of jealousy? "You know, two weeks ago Callaghan tried to restrict my access, make it so I couldn't see you. Yet, I've walked in here everyday since and nobody has tried to stop me."

She wanted to ask why Sam and Luke seemed to hate each other so much, and what could have possibly driven her fiancé to trying to restrict Sam's access, but right now, another question was burning on her lips. "Did you flirt your way in here?"

Sam's mouth fell open slightly. "No." Why would she even think that?

Andy's eyes narrowed as she studied him.

He couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face. He'd seen her jealous before, but most of the time she tried to cover it up with excuses. Right now though, she was an open book. The notion that Andy was jealous because she _thought_ he'd flirted with another woman had his dimples appearing.

"Like that." Andy released his hand and pointed to his face. "You used those, didn't you?" she accused.

Sam couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling over. He'd never viewed jealousy as an attractive quality in a woman, but with Andy, it was somehow… adorable? With her, it meant she cared and that meant he hadn't lost her. "McNally, I didn't do anything, I swear."

She was still studying him when Dr. Nyman came in moments later.

"Alright, Miss McNally, it looks like you're healing nicely. Test results indicate improvement in all areas, except for your memory, but I don't see any reason to keep you tied down, so you're cleared to start walking. Just—"

Andy flung the sheets back and swung her legs off the side of the bed, practically throwing herself from it. Although her feet landed firmly on the floor, the force caused her knees to buckle.

Sam caught her as she wobbled, inadvertently drawing her closer to him… much closer than was necessary. When he felt her body up against his, he froze, his mind racing. Should he let go of her? Gently push her away? Apologize? In the end he did nothing. She showed no signs of wanting to move. In fact, she hadn't moved either one of her hands away – one was curled around his arm and the other was resting up against his chest.

Dr. Nyman cleared his throat. "As I was about to say," he said sharply. "Take it easy. Don't overdo it. And use someone for support."

Andy buried her head in Sam's chest as a blush crept into her cheeks and her fingers gripped his shirt a little tighter. There was a brief spell of silence before she could hear receding footsteps. "Is he gone?" she mumbled into his shirt.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, not wanting to let her go. "Yeah."

She pulled her head away and looked up at him, but still hadn't moved back. "I umm…" Her mind momentarily blanked as his breath fanned out across her face.

"You can walk?" he supplied, his voice taking on an unusually soft tone.

"I can walk," she echoed, her eyes still locked on Sam's face.

God she was beautiful. "I guess that means no wheelchair races?" he teased.

Andy gave a small nod. "I guess that means you can stay," she replied shyly, biting down on her lower lip.

A noise out in the hall made her to jump, her own skittishness causing her to giggle. It was only then that she realized she'd been clutching Sam's shirt in one hand while the other had shifted a little higher up on his arm. With that realization came the nerves, a whole lot of them. "Umm… so… I uh, I guess we should go then?" Andy said, gesturing toward the door. She untangled herself from him and stepped back, pressing her lips together as she blushed.

"If you promise not to overdo it," said Sam. As much as he wanted to make her happy, he knew how she could be, and he really didn't want her to go overboard and delay her recovery.

She looked over at the IV pole. She knew she'd be free of it later that day, but for now, it was going to make things a little more challenging. "Uh huh," she muttered, grabbing the pole and ushering Sam towards the door. At this point she'd probably agree to anything if it meant being able to get off the bed and out of her room.

He looked over his shoulder at her and smirked.

"Oh," Andy said, stopping rather abruptly when they were only halfway to the door. She turned back and grabbed the poodle off the bed.

Sam quirked an eyebrow. Was she seriously going to bring that thing?

Andy shrugged as she walked back to him. "Someone might snag it." When she was by his side, she held the poodle out to him.

He stared at her outstretched arm, his eyes flicking to the poodle in her hand and then up to her face. She was smiling up at him, the expression so full of innocence and sweetness, yet the gleam in her eyes suggested she was up to something.

His eyes flicked back down to the poodle, then back up to her face again. There was no way in hell that he was going to be caught dead carrying that thing.

"I can't carry it," Andy said, her tone every bit as sweet and innocent sounding as the smile that was still plastered on her face. "I need to pull this stupid thing around," she explained, gesturing to the IV pole. "And, the doctor even said if I want to walk around, I need to hold onto someone... I mean, I guess I could find someone else."

Sam shook his head. "No," he said, his eyes flicking back to the white fur. "Nope. Absolutely not. No way."

"Pleeeeeeeaaaase Sam," Andy said, pouting a little as she pushed the poodle into his chest.

He wanted to shake his head, say he wouldn't carry the thing, but as he looked down at her, the sudden urge to kiss the pout off her face had him taking hold of the stuffed animal, using both hands so he wouldn't find one straying to her face. Traci had been right: he had it worse for Andy now than he did before. The grin that was now spreading across her face made it worth it though.

Andy reached out and took his arm, surprised by how tense he suddenly seemed. As they made their way out of the room, she looked up at him again, frowning. "Are you okay?"

Sam looked over at her, doing his best to keep a neutral expression. Was he okay? No. No he wasn't. In the last few minutes alone, he'd wanted to kiss her at least twice. Not that he hadn't thought about kissing her before, but this time he'd almost given into that desire. He pushed the thought aside. "Yeah. You?"

She studied him for another moment before focusing her attention on putting one foot in front of the other. "I'm fine."

He stared at her a moment longer. She didn't sound fine.

* * *

"Can I help you?" the nurse behind the desk asked.

"Yeah, my fiancé, Andy McNally, isn't in her room," Luke said. "Where is she?"

The nurses exchanged glances. They'd seen Sam and Andy walk down the hall less than ten minutes ago. "I think she's downstairs having some tests done. It might be awhile, but you can wait in her room if you'd like."

Luke glanced at his watch. "I'm actually running late. Could you let her know I stopped by?"

The nurse nodded. "Of course."

As soon as Luke was gone, the nurses looked at each other. "You just lied to a cop."

The first nurse stared back. "I don't know what you're talking about," she replied.

The other one grinned. "What did he want again?"

"I think he was looking for the washroom."

* * *

They slowly made their way up and down the various hallways within the hospital. Sam could tell Andy was starting to get tired, but the smile on her face made him hesitant to put an end to their walk. Nevertheless, he knew there was a risk in overdoing it, so he turned them around. As they rounded the last hallway to get back to her room, a loud laugh startled them. They both looked up in time to see Oliver snapping a picture of them on his phone.

"Nice dog Sammy," Oliver said, grinning.

Sam glared at him. "You show anyone that picture and you're a dead man Ollie."

"Oh come on brother, you can't expect me to keep this gem all to myself," Oliver replied, stepping up and embracing Andy.

Sam's eyes widened as he watched.

Oliver noted his expression and shrugged. "I've been giving her dirt on you for the last couple of weeks."

All Sam could do was stare at his friend. He had no idea Oliver had been visiting Andy, and he could only imagine what the guy was filling her head with. His eyes slid over to her, noting the guilty expression on her face. She tried to smile at him but when it came out awkward and nervous-looking, he couldn't help but laugh. Wanting to lighten the mood, he turned to Oliver. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure I've got plenty of dirt on you to keep her entertained for the rest of her life. Like the time at the academy when you—"

Oliver's jaw dropped. He knew exactly what Sam was going to say. "No, no, no, McNally doesn't want to hear about that."

Andy looked from Sam to Oliver and back again, a genuine smile now gracing her face.

"You know what, I think I have to get back out there," Oliver said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Just thought I'd stop in and see how you're doing… Glad to see you're up walking." He hugged Andy again, then gave Sam a look before winking and leaving.

As soon as Oliver was out of sight, Andy bit her lip and looked up at Sam. "He's uh… he's been coming every couple of days or so, sometimes just for a few minutes, but sometimes longer."

Sam nodded and nudged her so she'd start walking again. He was surprised she hadn't told him, but really, he was her partner and that didn't mean he was entitled to know everything about her, even if he wanted to.

"And umm, Traci brought…" Andy paused, struggling to remember. "Dov and Chris with her."

"What do you think of them?" Sam asked.

"Chris is pretty serious. He seems like he could be fun, but he's just so… proper? And Dov is hilarious." She paused. "I like them though, but the way Dov talks about work, I think I see why they're all worried you're going to kill him."

He quirked an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

She bit her lip and tried to pretend she hadn't noticed.

"McNally?"

"Sam?" she said, trying to imitate the innocent and sweet smile she'd used before.

He bit back a smile of his own as he stared her down.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Really though, it's nothing. You're both just so different. I mean, Dov seems like he just does things, just acts. He's so carefree…"

"And I'm not?" he asked, looking back down the hallway.

"You're… you're more methodical," Andy said slowly. "Not in the sense that you follow procedures or whatever because Oliver's told me you aren't exactly one to follow rules." She hesitated. "You just seem very guarded at times, like everything you do is so deliberate… thought out."

He continued to stare straight ahead, schooling his features. He might be guarded, but most of the time he found himself reacting to things rather than thinking about them, especially when it came to her. "I was caught holding your poodle. How thought out do you think that was?"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, staring at the ground. She'd noticed the obvious shift in his mood, but had no idea how to fix things.

A quick glance in her direction told him she felt really bad. With a gentle tug on her arm, he got her to stop walking. When she still hadn't looked up at him, he tucked the poodle under his arm and put a hand under her chin and tilted it up. "I'm not mad, okay?"

She nodded, but still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Besides, it was worth it."

Andy's eyes flicked upward. She searched his face for a moment before the corners of her mouth tugged upward. "Really?" she asked before nervously biting down on her lower lip.

Sam nodded. He knew Oliver wouldn't let him forget the poodle anytime soon, but a little bit of embarrassment meant he was able to hold Andy close for a short time.

After a hesitant moment, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He didn't even think; he just hugged her back as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if they'd done it countless times before.

"I didn't mean any of it in a bad way," Andy said quietly.

Instead of giving a verbal response, he pulled her tighter to him, his heart rate speeding up as she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for several minutes, neither one wanting to pull away.

"You must be Sam."

He looked up at the nurse who had spoken, feeling Andy tense at the same time. "Uh, yeah," he said, frowning. He didn't recognize the woman, but she obviously recognized Andy. "Can I help you?" he asked, confused. With the way they were wrapped up in each other's arms, he was a little surprised that the woman hadn't assumed he was Luke… unless it was really that obvious that he wasn't Andy's fiancé. The thought that he could never be what Andy needed him to be made his face fall, and with it, his heart.

The woman smiled at him, nodded to Andy, and said, "This one talks about you all the time."

Sam looked down at Andy and even though he couldn't see her face, he suspected she was glaring at the woman. The nurse merely smiled wider. As she passed by, she whispered in Sam's ear, "We're rooting for you."

He stared at the woman for another moment, watching as she nudged another nurse and pointed to them before grinning. His thoughts briefly went back to when they'd told him about Luke's request to deny him visitor access. Maybe hospitals weren't so bad after all. A small smile crept onto his face as he looked down at Andy.

She slowly pulled her head away from his shoulder and tilted it upward to look at him.

He swallowed hard. Her lips were just inches from his, and his self-control was wearing thin.

"I… I don't talk about you _all_ the time," she said.

He tried not to grin at her obvious lie, but in the end he lost the battle. "Okay McNally."

She rolled her eyes.

They were too close. If he didn't let go of her now, he was positive he was going to kiss her and he really wasn't sure if the Andy with memory loss could handle it any better than the Andy who remembered everything. He had to do something, and he had to do it fast. "So are we going to stand here all day, or do you want to finish walking back?"

She absentmindedly nodded.

"Uh," Sam said, though he didn't have anything beyond that. He could tell she was hesitant, yet he suspected it had nothing to do with being tired or not being able to walk anymore. The thought made it even hard to step back. Taking a deep breath, he managed to remove one arm from around her, intending to drop it entirely, but his head and body weren't cooperating.

His hand slowly moved up to her face and gently pushed away some of the hair that had fallen forward. But even after the hair was tucked behind her ear, his hand lingered. Her big brown eyes were now fully focused on his face, her grip unconsciously tightening. He was very aware of it though. "McNally," he said, his voice coming out a little lower than usual. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest and with her breath cascading out onto him, he was having trouble thinking, but it was clear that she was affected too. Her breathing was definitely a little heavier than it had been moments ago. His hand slid from her face to the back of her neck, noting how she seemed to move a little closer to him. His eyes flicked to her lips and Sam found himself being drawn in, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he heard her breath hitch. He leaned in a little more, but before his lips could reach their mark he was slammed back to reality, one where Andy was still engaged to Luke. At the last second he turned his head away and leaned to the side, gently turning her head as if to examine it. "Looks better," he choked out. "How does it feel?"

He waited a few seconds, attempting to regain control, before he pulled back to look at her face, this time breaking contact with her completely.

She blinked hard. What had just happened? "It's… it's fine."

Sam silently cursed himself upon seeing her confusion. When she finally looked up at him for answers, he had to look away. With the exception of the night of the blackout when she'd shown up at his house, he'd always managed to maintain control – this was the closest he'd come to losing it again. Except, this time it was worse. He was making an already confusing situation even more complicated for Andy, and for himself. "Good," he finally managed. "Ready to go back?"

**Thanks again for reading! I hope you'll let me know what you think. **

**So… Was Sam right to back off, or do you think he should have gone for it and kissed Andy?**

**Up next, Andy's released from the hospital, which means she's headed back to live with Luke. But, how will she react to her own home and her old life, and where does Sam fit in?**


	7. This House is Not a Home

**Welcome back! Thanks for all of your reviews/follows/favourites. I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think!**

**To my readers in Malaysia (and others who may be affected), I just read that contact was lost with Flight MH17, so I'm sending all of my positive thoughts your way and am hoping to hear some good news once more is known about the situation. **

**Recap: Andy wakes up in the hospital after having been shot in the back of the head – she soon discovers that she's suffering from severe memory loss and can only remember the events from the day of the accident. Andy's drawn to Sam, but is confused to learn that she's engaged to Luke, a man that made a really bad "first" impression on her. While at a scene, Sam buys a stuffed animal poodle that reminds him of his conversation with Andy at the hospital. He also promises her that he'll be at the hospital when she wakes up, even though he's had enough experience as a cop to know that things can always come up last minute. In the end, Sam is just barely able to keep his promise, but things quickly become tense with Andy. Although they manage to smooth things over, Luke tries to throw a wrench into the mix when he asks a nurse to restrict Sam's visitor access... The doctors notify Andy that she can start walking, so she gets Sam to accompany her. In the process, Sam almost kisses her - more than once - the most obvious and closest time being the last one. Andy is left completely confused when Sam suddenly backs off and pretends he's trying to examine her head injury instead.**

Andy looked up at the house, eyes widening. "I live here?"

Traci put the car in park and looked over at her friend before reluctantly nodding.

"How can I even afford this?" Andy asked, frowning as she got out of Traci's car, her eyes still glued to the house. It was bigger than she'd expected and it seemed like it was in a relatively nice neighbourhood. It was quiet… peaceful.

"Nobody told you?" Traci said, confused. She hadn't exactly expected Sam to, but surely Luke would have told her? Then again, from what she'd heard, Luke's appearances at the hospital had been few and far between.

"Told me what?" Andy asked a little hesitantly.

"Well, technically Luke bought the house," Traci replied, fiddling with a thread on her blouse.

"Luke bought the house?" Andy repeated, panic coursing through her as it registered. "Which means Luke lives here… And _I_ live here…" Andy took a deep breath. "So what you're saying is that I live with Luke?" she said slowly, hoping she'd somehow misunderstood.

"Yeah."

Andy's eyes flicked over to Traci before returning to the house, dread filling her. "No," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. That didn't make any sense. How could she live with that man? How could she even be engaged to him? None of it seemed to fit. She _had_ to be missing something, some crucial piece of information that would somehow connect the dots and allow her to make sense of things.

Traci watched her friend closely. "You okay sweetie?"

"I…" Andy began. Was she okay? No, no, she wasn't. She just found out she was living with her fiancé, a man who still seemed like a stranger. This couldn't be right. It had to be a joke. "Are you sure?"

It took a lot of effort not to laugh. "I'm sure... You moved in together before you got engaged."

Traci led Andy up the pathway and unlocked the front door before handing her the key. She then stepped aside and let her friend enter first.

"It's so… it's… it's nice I guess," Andy said. It was clean and had good flow. The decorations were simple, but nice. Yet something didn't feel right about it. Sure, it was a nice house, but was this really home, _her_ home?

"Are you going to be okay on your own?" Traci asked. "I can always call Frank and let him know I'll be a little late coming back to work?"

Andy took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "No. It's okay, I'll be fine." Whether she would or not, she had no idea, but she had to try.

"Okay," Traci replied, gently hugging her friend before heading out the door. "Call me if you need anything."

Taking a shaky breath, Andy slid her shoes off and slowly moved down the hallway, her eyes shifting to the left as she reached the living room. After a hesitant moment, she stepped into the room, her eyes taking in the modern furniture with its clean-cut edges. She tentatively reached out and pushed down on the couch, grimacing as she did so. It was as hard as it looked, not soft and comfortable feeling like she'd imagined prior to stepping foot in the house. Turning her eyes away, she looked around the rest of the room, briefly examining the movies and books on the shelves. She didn't recognize a single one, but she hardly expected to. Sighing, Andy stepped back out into the hallway and continued on, moving from room to room until she was too exhausted to continue. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. The house itself was gorgeous and the view at the back was spectacular, but she just couldn't shake the idea that it didn't feel like home.

Grabbing the photo album Traci had given her in the hospital, she sat on the floor in the guestroom and flipped the book open. Her eyes slowly moved over each picture as she attempted to figure out – for what seemed like the hundredth time – what kind of life she'd lived. Halfway through, she had to stop. It was just too overwhelming. Seeing pictures, but not understanding them. Knowing she'd been places and done things, but having no recollection of them. Trying to piece everything together when it was so disjointed and confusing that nothing seemed right. As she tugged her knees to her chest, tears streamed down her face and loneliness washed over her. Would things always be this confusing? Would she ever feel like she belonged? Would this ever feel like home? Her eyes landed on a picture of Sam. He was the only thing that really seemed right in her life at the moment, but he was the one thing that went against everything she was told was true. Blinking back fresh tears, she reached for her phone, her fingers hovering over Sam's name.

* * *

Sam quickened his pace and stepped up beside Traci. "How is she?"

Traci hesitated. "She uh… she had no idea she lived with Luke."

His eyes widened. "How did she handle it?"

"Well," Traci said slowly. "She didn't believe me at first, and then when it hit her she almost cried."

Sam ran a hand over his face, mentally kicking himself for assuming that Andy knew and because he still blamed himself for everything that happened, including her current distress.

Traci gave Sam a reassuring smile. "She'll be okay…" There was a small pause. "Of course she'll be even better once she ditches his as—"

"Funny," Sam said dryly.

"Oh come on Sam," Traci said. "You didn't see her face when I told her she lived with the guy. She was horrified… terrified. She didn't want to be there. I'm surprised she didn't ask me to take her back to the hospital."

Without another word, he left Traci and turned towards the coffee station, pulling out his cell phone along the way. Scrolling to Andy's name, he text: _Learn anything new about yourself? _He could see her typing something, but it looked like she kept deleting it and starting over. After her sixth attempt, his phone finally buzzed.

_I have no idea who I am. _

Sam hesitated, then typed: _Give it time. _Once the message was sent, he hesitated again. _Andy McNally. Copper. Danger magnet. Lion's heart. Stubborn. Poodle. _His fingers hovered over the screen. He wanted to tell her how smart and beautiful she was; he wanted to tell her a lot more than that, or at least try, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell her any of those things without crossing that line, so instead he hit send.

Buzz.

_What would you do?_

He stared at his screen for a long moment. _Take things one day at a time. That's all you really can do. Don't try to figure everything out at once or you'll drive yourself crazy._

Buzz.

_I think I already have.  
_  
Buzz.

_Sam, I think he's here. What do I do?_

His mouth fell open. Was she really as scared as Traci made her out to be? And why was she asking him, of all people, for relationship advice? _Say hi_, he typed. He'd much rather have her dump Luke and run, but she wanted help and that was about as much as he could manage without being sick, sarcastic, or brutally honest. Unfortunately that wasn't good enough for her. His phone rang seconds later, her name flashing across the screen. Sighing, Sam connected the call. "Breathe, McNally."

"Sam, I don't want to be here. I don't want to do this."

The fear in her voice tugged at his heart. All he wanted to do was drive to her place, pick her up, and take her somewhere she felt comfortable, but he knew she was safe and regardless of how he felt, he couldn't step in and help her where Luke was concerned. "Take a deep breath," he repeated. "He's not going to hurt you. Just take a deep breath and turn on the TV or something... A distraction might make things a little easier to manage."

"What if I pretend I'm sleeping?" she said, her voice hushed, but still full of fear. "How do I sleep?"

Sam frowned. "Trust me, you're not relaxed enough to pull that off, and it's going to be even more awkward if he picks up on that." He grimaced upon hearing Luke call her name.

"Wanna come over?" Andy asked, not caring how weak it made her sound.

He spit out the mouthful of coffee he'd just taken, attracting several pairs of eyes. Hastily reaching for something to clean it up, he said, "That wouldn't go over well."

Silence.

"Look McNally, you know I'd come if you really needed me, but you've already met him. You can do this…"

"Yeah, I've met him, but I didn't know I lived with him too," Andy hissed.

Sam frowned. "And that changes things?"

"Of course it does. How am I supposed to figure everything out if he's right here breathing down my neck?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. How many times did he have to help her figure out her problems with Luke? He'd told himself he was done with that, especially since her accident, but she was scared right now and he couldn't leave her like that. "Try talking to him; maybe it will help."

Luke's voice could be heard again, followed by knocking.

"McNally, you can't keep avoiding him. You're going to have to put the phone down," Sam said. "But you can call or text me later if you want to talk, okay?"

"Yeah," Andy said quietly, feeling a little defeated.

Luke opened the door and stepped into the room mere seconds after they hung up. "There you are," he said, smiling.

She forced a smile in return, tucking her phone into the pocket of her jeans before pulling the photo album into her arms so that they weren't hanging awkwardly or nervously at her side. When he approached her and kissed her temple, she unconsciously gripped the book a little tighter.

"Finding everything okay?"

"Umm, yeah," Andy said quietly.

He stared at her for another moment before heading back toward the doorway. "I'm going to order some food, and shower."

Andy nodded, exhaling deeply the second he was gone. Knowing she couldn't hide upstairs forever, she took the photo album downstairs and planted herself on the couch. She could hear the water running and knew it wouldn't be long before he was out, but she still had no idea how to talk to him. Part of her even wished that she'd fall asleep and not have to deal with anything, but despite how exhausted she felt, she'd been so overwhelmed with everything that her mind couldn't slow down enough for that to happen. Luckily, Luke didn't approach her immediately after finishing his shower. In fact, it wasn't until food arrived that he called her into the kitchen. From there, they sat in awkward silence for several minutes as they ate.

"It's your favourite," Luke finally said.

Andy's eyes flicked up to him, trying to hide her surprise. It wasn't terrible, but it really wasn't good either, so she had no idea why it would be her favourite. "Oh…" She tried to come up with something else to add, but was drawing blanks, so eventually she just gave up and turned her attention back to her food.

When Luke's eyes lingered, she shifted uncomfortably. "What did you do today?"

She shrugged. "Looked around a little."

"Do you have any questions?"

Was he serious? She had about 5000 questions, but she wasn't sure she was ready to ask any of them. Still, she was engaged to Luke for a reason, so she figured she'd better try to find out what that reason was. "So we met at work?"

Luke nodded. "Your first day. Met at a crime scene."

She hesitated. "First date?"

"Movie theatre," Luke replied. "Well, technically, it was dinner and then a movie."

"What do we do for fun?" she asked, her eyes still on her food.

"I have a fishing cabin up north that we've gone to," Luke said. "Other than that, movies and that type of thing."

Andy's eyes flicked up. Maybe she'd liked the fact that he had a fishing cabin – it meant he was at least somewhat outdoorsy and something about that idea seemed to appeal to her, even though she really wasn't sure if she liked the outdoors. Rather than asking Luke, she decided she'd question Sam or Traci later. "Did you propose or did I?"

Luke laughed. "I did. Here actually, but upstairs."

They talked for another twenty minutes before his phone rang and he vanished from the room. When he finally returned, he had an apologetic look on his face. "I have to go back into work. There's been a breakthrough in a case."

She nodded, a little relieved that she could have more time to herself to think things over. After receiving another kiss on the temple, she watched Luke leave the house, then headed straight upstairs, hesitating before turning toward to _their_ bedroom. Once there, she searched the drawers for something to sleep in, her eyes settling on the bed for a long moment as she changed. Shaking her head, she headed to the guestroom and climbed under the covers. With a quick glance at the clock, she pulled her phone towards her. _Still awake?_

Sam paused mid-story and pulled his phone out, a small smile on his face when he saw her text. _Yeah_, he replied.

"How is she?" Oliver asked, before taking another sip of beer. It was obvious by the look on Sam's face that it was Andy.

Quirking his eyebrow, Sam said, "The hospital released her today, so she's trying to adjust."

Buzz.

_Busy?_

Sam glanced at Oliver. "Sorry buddy, gotta go."

Oliver's eyebrows shot up. "Doesn't Callaghan have her for the night?"

Ignoring his friend, Sam threw some money down on the counter. "See you tomorrow." On his way out, he shook off an approaching badge bunny and replied to Andy's text. _Not for you._

Andy smiled, then hit the button to call him. Hearing background noise when he picked up, she frowned. "Where are you?"

"Leaving The Penny," Sam replied as he headed toward his truck.

"The cop bar?" Andy asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh," Andy said, unable to keep her mind from wandering and wondering whom he'd been there with and if he was alone now.

Sam smirked upon hearing her tone. "I was with Oliver."

Her lips curled upward. "I thought you said you weren't busy."

"I said I wasn't too busy for you," Sam corrected.

She hesitated, warmth spreading to her cheeks as she asked the next question. "But for one of the other rookies?"

Sam remained silent for a moment, wondering how blunt he should be. "Busy," he finally said.

There was another spell of silence. "How's Oliver?"

"Good," Sam replied, as he buckled up and pulled out of the parking lot, putting her on speakerphone. "How did things go?"

"Do I like the outdoors?"

He frowned. "You love it."

"So I'd like camping or things like a fishing cabin?"

Silence.

"Sam?"

He unclenched his teeth, trying to block out the trip Andy had taken to Luke's fishing cabin, not long after the night of the blackout. "Yes."

She frowned at his tone.

"Why, did Luke offer to take you to his fishing cabin again?" Sam said before he could stop himself.

"No," Andy replied, her frown deepening. "But it sounds like I've been there before and I thought that maybe if I like the outdoors then that's something I could have liked about him."

"Did you ask him that?"

"No."

"Why not?" Sam pressed. He _really_ didn't want to be the one helping Andy figure out why she liked Luke in the first place, especially if it helped her like the man again.

"Because I'd rather talk to you… but if you don't want to, then I won't. I'll ask Traci next time."

He felt some of his anger fade away. "McNally, it's fine. You can ask me anything."

"Anything?" she pressed, biting down on her lower lip.

Sam hesitated. "Yeah."

Her mind raced. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask him, about him, the biggest one being what they meant to one another, but she found the question stuck in her throat. When everything went quiet on Sam's end, she said, "Are you home?"

"Yeah." He closed the door of his truck, unlocked his front door and stepped inside, then headed up to his room. Setting his phone down on the bed, he took his clothes off and climbed under the covers, frowning at the prospect of talking to a woman on the phone while lying in bed. It seemed like something someone might do in a relationship – something _someone else_ might do in a relationship, not him. Yet, despite how foreign it was to him, hearing her voice while he lay back was oddly comforting. "Where are you?"

"I'm in bed too."

His mouth fell open. _Too?_ "How did you—?"

"I umm… I think I heard you take your clothes off." The second it left her mouth, she felt her cheeks warm up again. That came out a little too personal.

Sam couldn't help but laugh, knowing without a doubt that her face was a pretty shade of pink. "You can stop blushing now McNally."

"I'm not," she argued, but she knew it didn't sound convincing.

"Yeah, okay," he drawled. That's when it hit him. "Where's Callaghan?"

"He went back to work."

He hesitated. The thought of her sharing the same bed with Luke suddenly made talking to her seem really awkward.

"Tell me a story," Andy said, closing her eyes.

"You want a story?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Uh huh," she said. "I haven't been able to sleep all day… with all of this… I just want to hear your voice."

His mouth fell open again, surprised by her admission. "I'm not exactly a storyteller McNally."

"I don't want to hear about dragons and princesses Sam," she said, laughing softly. "Tell me a story about work or… what was that story about Oliver that you threatened to tell? The one from the academy?"

Sam smiled. Hearing her yawn, he agreed. "Alright, close your eyes, but I'm warning you, if you fall asleep partway through I can't tell you again. Oliver would kill me if he found out I told you in the first place."

"Okay."

"Are your eyes closed?" Sam asked, hearing her yawn again.

"Uh huh," she mumbled.

"Do you have your poodle with you?"

"Uh huh," she mumbled again, this time a little quieter. "Luke hates it."

He smiled again. If she was sleeping with the poodle, then she clearly didn't care that Luke hated it, and if Luke hated it, then the guy had to know exactly who gave it to her. Realizing she was waiting for the story, Sam said, "It was in our second month at the academy. Oliver, Jerry, and I were…" He fell silent for a long moment, listening as her breathing changed. Still, he waited a few minutes to make sure she was asleep, then quietly said, "Goodnight McNally" before reluctantly hanging up the phone and closing his own eyes.

**Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think.  
Does anyone think Sam has crossed any lines? Has Andy? And will Luke finally get it together and make a comeback?**

**Up next, how far is Sam willing to accompany Andy down memory lane?**


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